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mac84
06-25-2014, 14:03
Laugh as you will...here's what I learned on our recent section hike from Dick's Creek Gap:

(Some background - first time on the AT, 48 yr's old, in good shape, hiking experience on other trails here in AL)

1) You will never know what the AT is like unless you set foot on it.......at some point you just do it.
2) Easy to overestimate what mileage you can do in a day
3) Do NOT take a group of varying experience......I now know what 'HYOH' means.
4) Just because you have a filter and there is water does NOT mean you will stop and fill up and drink like you should.....the beginnings of dehydration were starting early and I was always playing catch up.
5) People DO litter on the trail....wow.
6) Shelters have their own special smell....we camped elsewhere.
7) On hills, it's best to NOT stop and catch your breath....keep going and motor on through it. The more you stop the more you want to stop.
8) You may think you are in shape and have prepared for the elevation changes....but you can't imagine the hike...you have to just do it. (see # 1 and # 2....and # 3)

Thanks to all on this Forum.....I read much, took much of the advice but there's no substitute for doing it. I learned so much that I'll use next time. By the way, we had planned Dick's Creek to NOC....we got off after about 20 miles. The hike up to Standing Indian was one that some in the group could not make....we thought it best to get out at Deep Gap while we could!

Again, thanks to all!

Cookerhiker
06-25-2014, 14:19
All very good, solid points which many of us have also experienced. Sounds like you took it all in good humor which helps, as well as being flexible to changing conditions.

I particularly liked #7 - while I may slow the pace on a particularly steep stretch, I never stop. The only exception is high elevation hiking when I'm not fully acclimated - not an issue on the AT.

rafe
06-25-2014, 14:24
I don't quite buy into the "never stop" notion -- but I do agree that a slow, steady, consistent pace is better than furious uphill followed by long breaks. I typically end up with about 10% downtime, eg. a 10 minute break every 90 minutes.

mac84
06-25-2014, 14:40
Re # 7......felt like my pack was well adjusted...but about 30 pounds...heavier than it ought to have been maybe. Found that I would motor up one hill....hit the next switchback and then have to stop and catch my breath. I didn't feel like I was overdoing my speed...maybe i was!

Cookerhiker
06-25-2014, 14:54
This is a matter of what works for me may not work for you. I had one hiking partner with whom I was quite compatible. She hiked uphill slightly faster than me and would pass me, but then I passed her when she stopped to rest. We usually arrived at the top with less than a minute separating us. It's all good.

Odd Man Out
06-25-2014, 15:06
I'm in a similar situation - taking a section hike in 2 weeks. Maybe not my first, but the first in a long time. I'm a bit older and probably in less shape than you. With regards to your #2, how many miles did you plan on doing and what turned out to be more realistic? I'm planning 71 miles in 6 days. Not sure if this is overly optimistic or not. I guess I'll find out (item #1). Thanks for the insights. As for your other items #3- I'm going alone and everyone I talk to thinks I'm nuts. #4 I have a filter and hiking central VA in July (I know - hot and humid). I'll try to camel up often. #5 - I'll pack out some trash. #6 - Planning to not camp at shelters. #7 - I'll try stopping and not stopping and see which works for me. #8 - I know I'm not in shape or prepared for elevation changes. I'll be beat, but at least I'll be expecting it.

slbirdnerd
06-25-2014, 15:51
Sounds like a great and educational hike! Congrats!

daddytwosticks
06-25-2014, 15:59
Wow! The section from Deep Gap NC up to SI mountain always seems like a pussycat to me. Especially if you were able to climb out of GA into NC at Bly Gap! Happy hiking. :)

Cookerhiker
06-25-2014, 16:21
Wow! The section from Deep Gap NC up to SI mountain always seems like a pussycat to me. Especially if you were able to climb out of GA into NC at Bly Gap! Happy hiking. :)

I hear you. When I section hiked from Springer to Rt. 64, I found it ironic that the ascents to the highest point in GA (Blood Mountain) and the highest point in NC (Standing Indian) were not difficult because much of the elevation had already been gained.

mac84
06-25-2014, 16:42
Odd man, we hoped to do 68 miles in 5.5 days....but we averaged around 7 miles per day given the size of the group, the elevation changes, a couple of extended breaks during the day. I haven't done VA but would imagine the elevation is milder than GA/NC that we did. Others on here might want to comment on the mileage you have planned...maybe it's ambitious. Not sure! GOOD LUCK!

By the way, here's one I didn't put in:

9) Even if it was 1.9 pounds, my ALITE MONARCH CHAIR was FANTASTIC at the end of the day!:)

mac84
06-25-2014, 16:45
On the hike to SI...you're probably right. I had some in the party who walked to the summit from Deep Gap while I was shuttled back to the car at NOC.......they hiked it w/o packs but they were not breathing too heavily when I got back! AAARGH! Well, we'd made the decision and was glad we took something away from the hike. I'll be back to Deep Gap to pick it back up! HA!

mac84
06-25-2014, 16:47
.....and by the way, that climb out of Bly Gap to NC may be what did us all in and colored our thinking! :-?

MuddyWaters
06-25-2014, 20:01
Yep,NC to NOC is easier than the very N end of GA. Except for Albert Mtn. The climbs are bigger on paper, but they are better graded, and smoother trail. Its more like walking, compared to climbing rocky stairs.

Cant always judge a trail by a profile map.

Just like in the smokies, the climb out of Fontana to Mollies Ridge is a breeze, compared to the smaller rocky up and downs between thunderhead and derricks knob.

minda
06-25-2014, 20:33
I don't think anything prepared me for Albert Mountain! I, simply, wasn't expecting it.

Last Call
06-26-2014, 01:28
I introduced my 8 y.o. and my 14 y.o. girls to the Unicoi to Dicks Creek Gap section last July, I was proud how they handled it! Tray Mountian was fun, Cheese Factory is where we camped...all downhill from there!

Trailweaver
06-26-2014, 03:22
Congrats! Well done. Now don't you feel better? I always feel soooo proud of what I've done when I get home and have time to recover and think about it. Makes you want to go back, doesn't it?

JumpMaster Blaster
06-26-2014, 03:55
I wear a heart rate monitor when I hike (for fitness purposes). When I start getting really winded, I just stop until my HR goes back down to around 120-130, and then keep motoring on. That forces me to keep moving and keep the braks short.

Although, since I'm a bit of a shutterbug, I get "natural" breaks-photo ops.

Alligator
06-26-2014, 09:14
RE #7-I try to stay within my breathing on hills. Since I am going up, I gear my speed down some and keep my breathing at a manageable, steady level. I will take breaks as I normally do but I will push them back if I can get to the top in a reasonably extended push. I try not to operate on empty though. If there is a big hill coming up, I make sure I have enough food in me to get over it and may break a little early to fuel up before tackling it.

Cookerhiker
06-26-2014, 10:27
... If there is a big hill coming up, I make sure I have enough food in me to get over it and may break a little early to fuel up before tackling it.

Same here - I find it makes a big difference not having an empty stomach.

mac84
06-26-2014, 12:26
Cooker....that's one thing I should have added. I took food for the 6 days but found I was going through it faster than I'd planned because I was always hungry! I can't begin to imagine a thru hike! I'd be worried about food all the time!

JumpMaster Blaster
06-26-2014, 13:24
I'm in a similar situation - taking a section hike in 2 weeks. Maybe not my first, but the first in a long time. I'm a bit older and probably in less shape than you. With regards to your #2, how many miles did you plan on doing and what turned out to be more realistic? I'm planning 71 miles in 6 days. Not sure if this is overly optimistic or not. I guess I'll find out (item #1). Thanks for the insights. As for your other items #3- I'm going alone and everyone I talk to thinks I'm nuts. #4 I have a filter and hiking central VA in July (I know - hot and humid). I'll try to camel up often. #5 - I'll pack out some trash. #6 - Planning to not camp at shelters. #7 - I'll try stopping and not stopping and see which works for me. #8 - I know I'm not in shape or prepared for elevation changes. I'll be beat, but at least I'll be expecting it.

Same here. I'm by no means in great shape, but this is something I like doing, and hell, it beats sitting in a chair READING about it. #1- I got tired of reading about it and JUST DID IT. Now I look forward to hitting it whenever possible. #2. Got a late start one weekend. 4.5 miles broke me off once as i wasn't prepared for so much UP. #4- That's whay I still use my Camelbak bottle with the hose attachment. I tend to drink a LOT more water that way than if I have to contort myself to reach a bottle.

mac84
06-26-2014, 14:16
I've been off the trail from this last one for 1 week.....I'm sitting at my desk and I'm READY TO GET BACK! I've now forgotten how hard some of the hills were. I want to get packed back up and out of this office!

peakbagger
06-26-2014, 15:49
If you want to go back and di it again it was a successful first hike.

hikernutcasey
06-26-2014, 16:04
I'm a section hiker as well. I've done 700 miles of the trail over the past 4 and 1/2 years. I joined a gym just to stay in "decent" shape in between hikes. My buddy and I usually do around 10 miles the first day due to travel and then average around 14 - 16 per day after that. It's tough. Dang tough. You are always starting out with full weight and no trail legs. BUT...

I love every minute of it! And as soon as the trip is over with I'm looking at and planning the next one. Work, family, obligations...it is what it is. Get out there when you can.

mac84
06-26-2014, 18:04
I guess I've figured out now the love and lure of the AT. It's been a week and I really want to get back out. Pretty awesome.....

Kerosene
06-26-2014, 19:43
It would be hard to believe that the climb up Courthouse Bald (not even to the summit!) doesn't kick most people's butt. I thought Georgia was a piece of cake and had climbed up from Dicks Creek Gap averaging close to 3 mph before I stopped for lunch at the state line. Yes, it was a warm day after a week of downright cold weather, but I was surprised that I had to stop twice on that ascent after only bonking once the entire way through Georgia.

I rarely if ever stop on an uphill, but I will go into "low, slow gear" on long ascents (more than a mile) or if I'm running out of energy. Once I reach the summit I try to lengthen my stride and keep moving as my heart rate falls.

As for your other points:

1) You will never know what the AT is like unless you set foot on it: Yes, but those white blazes disappearing into the deep woods always got me wondering where that trail goes.

2) Easy to overestimate what mileage you can do in a day: True, at first or if the terrain is radically different from what you've done in the past. After numerous AT sections, I'm pretty good at estimating what I can do and how long it will take. I used to try to take a "nero" mid-week, but I've gotten away from that the last few hikes. I did plan on much lower mileage through the Whites based on what I had read on WhiteBlaze, and they were right...I averaged a full one mph slower from Kinsman Notch to Carter Notch, and then again in western Maine.

3) Do NOT take a group of varying experience: I typically only hike with one or two other people, and I already have a good sense of their capabilities before I bring them (or adjust my expectations downward).

4) Just because you have a filter and there is water does NOT mean you will stop and fill up and drink like you should: Try using a bite valve and sip as you walk. Works better for me than pulling out my water bottle when I think about it.

5) People DO litter on the trail: Do your part and pick up some of that trash...but even then you can't pick it all up unless you're doing trail maintenance.

6) Shelters have their own special smell: Fortunately my smeller isn't that good, but even so there are lots of other drawbacks to shelters.

7) On hills, it's best to NOT stop and catch your breath: What I said earlier.

8) You may think you are in shape and have prepared for the elevation changes: I'm actually becoming convinced that this is more related to where you grew up than your level of fitness. I've day-hiked with younger people who were better athletes and overall fitter than me, yet kicked their butt going up moderate slopes. They grew up in flatlands and I grew up in hills, which I think helps mentally as well as physically, even after all these years.

9) Need for more food: This is the one area that doesn't seem to apply to me. My appetite actually decreases the first week or so, and it has taken me a long time to learn that I don't need to bring as much food as I thought I'd need.

Del Q
06-26-2014, 20:16
Less Food
Less clothes
Shoes 1/2 size bigger
Take a long lunch break (unless its raining out), air out feet, change socks, lotsa powder
No cook mode - eat in town
30-32lbs max, depending on the number of days to resupply

Agree on hydration............